1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and, in particular, to controlling operation of systems in aircraft. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for controlling multiple systems in aircraft.
2. Background
Aircraft commonly use dedicated control panels along with display devices for interacting with different systems in the aircraft. These systems may include, for example, without limitation, a voice radio system, a navigation system, a weather radar transponder, a ground proximity warning system, a satellite communications system, a cabin intercom system, a flight management computer, and/or other types of systems.
Typically, a dedicated control panel in an aircraft comprises a number of control buttons, knobs, switches, dials, and/or other mechanisms for interacting with a particular system on the aircraft. In other words, a dedicated control panel is configured to interact with a particular system and not other systems. For example, a control panel dedicated to a navigation system is typically configured to provide interaction with the navigation system and not other systems in the aircraft.
These dedicated control panels may be used with display devices, such as monitors, display screens, and/or other suitable display devices for interacting with the different systems in the aircraft.
With this type of setup, the number of different control panels and/or display devices used for interacting with the different systems increases the weight and complexity of the aircraft. For example, in addition to needing additional control panels and display devices, an increase in the number of wiring bundles used in the aircraft also increases.
Additionally, these dedicated control panels and display devices take up space or real estate within the cockpit and other control areas of the aircraft. The space used for these dedicated control panels and display devices may affect the size of the cockpit or other areas in an aircraft. Further, the placement of these dedicated control panels and display devices may not provide a desired level of ergonomics for the different operators of the aircraft.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.